How many times have you found yourself doom-scrolling through TikTok, watching the same type of videos over and over again, until you bored yourself so much that you had to put your phone away? You don’t have to feel embarrassed about how often that happens; we’ve all been there. And we will all continue to be there as long as we don’t change things up a bit, every once in a while.
Getting stuck in that bubble doesn’t mean that you can’t pop your way out of it, as long as you look for ways to expand your horizons. While it’s safe to assume none of us should increase our screen time, we can still use the time we do spend on our phones to gain new interests and pique our curiosity about subjects we never thought to explore.
Which is why many have been loving the “Olympics-Tok” bubble they have somehow found themselves in.
The XXV Winter Olympic Games have commenced on February 6th in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, and with it, a new type of content emerges, one that we only get to see whenever the games resurface. Many are experiencing a break from their usual content while doomscrolling on TikTok thanks to the Olympic Games. I, personally, experienced this when one video about the Olympic Games made its way to my For You page. For the first time in a while, I did not scroll away immediately. Now, the sports event has completely infiltrated my bubble, and I can’t remember the last time I was this entertained.
Via imagean, mirrenelle
The reason the Winter Olympics TikTok videos are catching people’s attention away from their usual “For You” content is because, even though they revolve around the same topic, each of them is very different from the others. This month-long event inspires so many people to post a wide variety of videos, each providing a different POV of the spectacular event.
It is very exciting when you stumble upon video moments from the competitors themselves. Who knew how beautiful figure skating can be, and how dramatic skiing down a snowy mountain truly is? Each competitor, each Olympic champion, is showcasing talents you definitely don’t see every day, and won’t see after this season is over. In one short video on your phone, you observe people perform groundbreaking routines and fulfill their lifelong dreams. What an honor it is to get even the slightest glimpse of that. And the best part is, you don’t have to become an expert in the Winter Olympics to enjoy it. Most of us aren’t actively seeking out curling strategies or snowboarding lore, but we can appreciate a good show when we see one.
Alongside these showstopping dreams and accomplishments, there is also a fair share of drama, and it is just as entertaining. If you thought the latest episode of Love Island was dramatic, you have not heard what is actually happening in the Olympic village in Milan. Not only are the competition and the high pressure make for an excellent mini-drama series, but in the pursuit of the gold medal, Olympic athletes tend to show just how far they’ll go. This makes the video essays about the heated rivalry between contestants into content that many enjoy tuning in for. There is so much at stake at these events that the tension is felt even through our screens. Let us not forget how the entire world carefully monitored the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, when no one knew if the Seine River would be clean enough to allow the swimming competitions to even take place there.
Then, there are the behind-the-scenes videos competitors themselves post on their personal accounts, sharing what it is really like to be an Olympian. Embyr-Lee Susko, a Canadian Luge athlete, for example, uses her personal TikTok account to show Olympic-Tok what the Olympic village is really like, what she wears every day, and what the team does between competitions. The Olympic skier Nick Novak, on the other hand, posts himself dancing to silly TikTok trends before heading out to practice. Admittedly, these videos are my favorite type of Olympic-Tok videos to consume. I will never become an Olympic contender, but getting to experience this exclusive event with some of them has been really enjoyable.
These events are so rare and exclusive that they provide a breath of fresh air. And these Winter Olympic-Tok won’t be around for too long, since these events only happen once every four years. We have less than one month of this unique content, and then the world moves on, so we should all enjoy it while we can.
While I have been loving the Winter Olympic-Tok, it doesn’t have to be the topic that breaks through your own filter bubble. If a gold medalist performing a backflip on the ice is not doing it for you, there is plenty of other content that can expand your horizons; you just have to open yourself up to it. The internet is at its best when it introduces us to worlds we don’t usually explore. As long as it breaks us out of the routine of consuming the same five topics over and over again, why not give it a try?
The next time a video pops up on your For You page, showcasing a niche corner of the internet you never visited before, maybe give it more than 5 seconds before scrolling away; it might surprise you and turn your doomscrolling into something worthwhile. And if I somehow convinced you to join the wonderful world of the Winter Olympic TikTok, start by searching out one Olympic video to watch, and the algorithm will do the rest for you.
